Reaction/ Response to Qatar a modern history book written by Allen Fromherz - Essay Example

The other is that despite the drastic modernization, how the country is proudly rooted in its tribal past and traditions. The author examines questions of modernization and at the same time importance of culture, and how both coexist. While reading, I can sense how the author views Qatar with great astonishment because he feels despite the rapid proliferation in the countries’ economy and outlook, its underlying structures and traditions, which define the Qatari life, are remarkably resilient.

This is the most prestigious applause from a foreigner to a citizen of Qatar like me. The main claim of the author is that what makes Qatar most admirable is not the present modernization that is dominated and built by expatriate labour. But, it is the Al-Thani rule which is the undeniable cause for the unprecedented transformation in the lifestyle of my fellow Qatari citizens even without destroying the lineage’s pride and traditional identities. Fromherz collects references made by several Western writers like Emilie Durkheim as evidence for the assumption that although modernization exhilarates, it causes problems.

It leads to collapse of the past identity and so there would always be a conflict between modernity and tradition. However, on the other hand, the author argues that the Western philosophy of “anomie” (a devastating situation that would arise due to a rapid change in a country’s culture) as proposed by Durkheim, does not hold true for Qatar (Fromherz, 2012, pg.5). As a citizen of Qatar, many including me can feel proud of their nationality owing to the fact that while many of the fellow Arabian countries are badly hit by the ill-effects of modernization, Qatar remained strong safe guarding the pride of its lineage.

In Qatar, Westernization had never broken up the traditional bonds. Reading the book creates an inevitable feel of contradiction, particularly when the